A young cadet is travelling to South East Asia to complete a range of social action and charity projects.

Jamie Head, 16, will travel to Java on July 16 along with other volunteers from his school, Sir John Lawes in Harpenden, as part of the World Challenge initiative.

Jamie is a cadet with the St Albans and Harpenden unit and recently won Cadet of the Year at the annual volunteer award ceremony, held at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.

St Albans and Harpenden Lead Cadet Instructor Sergeant Steve Alison said: “I am incredibly proud of Jamie and am pleased to be able to promote him to Head Cadet when the new term begins.

“Jamie has taken some of the skills he has developed while being a cadet and transferred them to his home and school life; this includes his passion for volunteering. His dedication to serving his local community and passion for charity work is overwhelming.”

Jamie also volunteers as a sports coach and is a trained anti-bullying rep at his school.

He will be in Java for four weeks and will take part in both a trekking and community project phase to develop skills such as team building and leadership.

They will begin their journey by trekking and camping through forest and open desert to reach remote villages where they will help teach English to local children. The group will also help the World Challenge team to build an important new water supply for the village.

The trip is self-funded and Jamie has been fundraising for the last two and a half years to raise the £4,000 required.

Head of Hertfordshire Volunteer Cadet Scheme Chief Inspector Stuart Orton said: “As cadets, our young people play an important role within their community.

“I was thrilled to hear that Jamie has not only been fundraising for two years to pay for this trip himself, but has opted to take part in such an important and valuable experience.

“This will certainly be a challenge and I wish him the very best of luck.”

World Challenge is a scheme that works with schools throughout the UK and gives young people the opportunity to travel to destinations in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe to help underprivileged local people.